San Juan's night is full of bonfires, fireworks, music, dancing, sardines and bread. It's the welcome to summer, and its celebration takes place during the shortest night of the year.
Many towns, cities or villages celebrate this first Summer Fiesta. All the celebrations have common things, and each one has it particularity.
In cities and towns particularly those which are close to the sea, the celebration is very important. Lalín, in Galicia, celebrates O Corpiño. People have to touch an image to botar fora o meigallo, to take out bad things; in Alicante Fogueres de Sant Joan, where two hundreds bonfires burn all over the city during the night, in Palamós and Roses (Girona), fireworks and bonfires are made on the beach, in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, people prepare bonfires with waste products and after the burnt, they go to have a bath to the sea which is completely full of fruits and flowers.
Bonfires, fire and water are the protagonists of the night. Men and women, young people and children, use to dedicate the day after or all the afternoon to prepare different bonfires. The tradition says that in this night people have the chance to clean and purify problems, and if they jump three times over a bonfire, this will happen.
Another tradition, specially for women tells that women of the house have to prepare perfumed or scented water with seven plants like roses, rosemary, laurel among others and have to take a bath or wash their faces with this water, another way to purify themselves for the new season.
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